Shoe sewing machine



March 6, 1934. L. E. TOPHAM 1,949,768

SHOE SEWING MACHINE Original Filed March 27, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 28 32 J V 52 36 O 58' 60 a u 4 44 I I 'T 24 4 i Wii'ness fizz/677i T /gn (5M @Ma March 6, 1934. L. E. TOPHAM 1,949,768

SHOE SEWING MACHINE Original Filed March 27, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. Z

Wb'iness fizz/27%? Patented Mar. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFEC SHOE SEWING MACHINE Original application March 27, 1928, Serial No. 265,169. Divided and this application October 25, 1932, Serial No. 639,459

13 Claims.

The present invention relates primarily to shoe sewing machines, and is herein disclosed as embodied in a machine adapted to sew the outseam connecting the outsole with the welt, lasted upper and insole of a Goodyear welt shoe.

The present application is a division of the inventors pending application Serial No. 265,169, filed March 27, 1928, which discloses a machine of the same general type as that disclosed in the patent to French and Meyer, No. 473,370, dated April 26, 1892. The stitch forming and work feeding devices include a needle, an awl, a work support and a presser-foot which are arranged to reciprocate back and forth in the line of feed to impart a continuous feeding movement to the work. The machine is also provided with a channelling knife and a work gage for acting along certain portions of the seam to vary the character of the seam, as more fully described in the inventors pending application above referred to.

One object of the invention is to improve the operation of the channelling knife and the edge gage in this type of machine, and with this object in view, the present invention contemplates the provision in an outseam shoe sewing machine of an improved mechanism for actuating a work channelling knife, such, for instance, as a knife for cutting a stitch receiving groove in the welt and an improved construction and arrangement of edge gage with its actuating and controlling mechanism.

The several features of the present invention and the advantages secured thereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the art from the preceding discussion, and from an inspection of the accompanying drawings and the following specific description thereof.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of an outseam shoe sewing ma- 40 chine embodying the several features of the present invention, so much only of the machine being illustrated as is necessary to show the connection of the present invention therewith; Fig. 2 is a detail view in front elevation, partly in section, of the two carriers by which the work feeding devices ai'e reciprocated together with their associated mechanisms; Fig. 3 is a detail sectional plan view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a detail sectional plan view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2.

The curved hook needle of the machine is indicated at 10, the needle guide at 12, the awl at 14, the thread arm at 16, the loop spreader at 18, the looper at 20, the shuttle at 22, the takeup at 24, the thread clamp at 26, the work support at mechanisms as in the machine disclosed in the patent to French and Meyer No. 473,870 hereinbefore referred to.

In the machine illustrated, the feed of the work is produced by the work support, presserfoot and needle, these parts being mounted to I move back and forth in the line of feed and being actuated to impart a continuous feeding movement to the work. To reciprocate the work feeding devices back and forth in the line of feed, two carriers are provided, on one of which the needle is mounted, and to the other of which the awl, the work support and the presser-foot are connected.

The needle carrier comprises a reciprocable member 32 in which a stud 34 forming the pivotal .support for the needle is mounted and the carrier is suspended by a pair of links 36 and 38 pivoted on the frame of the machine, the link 38 being pivoted to a block 40 secured to an extension of the carrier. The needle carrier is actuated by a link 42 connecting the block 40 with an adjustable cam actuated mechanism. The mechanism for actuating the carrier 32 is adjustable for varying the carrier movements by shifting a manual lever 44, all as described in detail in the application of which the present application is a division.

The carrier for reciprocating the work support and presser-foot consists of a slide indicated at 46 mounted in the machine frame and having the same general shape as the feed slide of the machine of the French and Meyer Patent No. 473,870. The carrier 46 is actuated by a link 48 (see Fig. 3) connecting the carrier to an adjustable cam actuated mechanism similar to that which operates the needle carrier. This mechanism is adjustable for varying the movements of the carrier 46, also by shifting the manual lever 44. The lever 44 is formed at its outer end to embrace a perforated guiding segment 49. To limit the movement of the lever, pins 50 may be inserted in the perforations in the segment 49.

The work support 28 is of usual construction, and is mounted upon a standard 52 which rises from the forward end of the slide 46. The work support thus moves with the slide 46 back and forth in the line of feed. The awl segment is also mounted in the standard 52 as usual in outseam shoe sewing machines.

In the illustrated embodiment of a feature of the present invention, a knife for cutting a stitch receiving groove or slit in the work is indicated at 54. This knife consists of a rod, the upper end of which is adapted to extend through, the slot in the work support and the lower end of which is clamped so as to be vertically adjustable in a holder 56. In order to permit the knife to be thrown into and out of operation, the holder 56 is pivotally mounted upon a carrier 58 which in turn is pivotally mounted upon a pivot stud 60 on the slide 46. The carrier 58 is moved to raise and lower the knife 54 into and out of operating position by means of a slide 62 mounted in the slide 46 and provided with a vertically arranged groove in which a downwardly extending arm 64 of the carrier 58 engages. The slide 62 has a screw threaded engagement with one end of a screw threaded shaft 66, the other end of which has a screw threaded engagement with a bushing 68 rigidly secured in the slide 46. lhe arrangement of the slide 62 and the shaft 66 is such that a rotation of the shaft in opposite directions reciprocates the slide 62 back and forth and through the carrier 58 moves the cutter 54 into and out of operating position. For rotating the shaft 66 a cross slide 70 is mounted in the slide 46 and is provided with rack teeth engaging a pinion formed on the shaft 66. The forward end of the cross slide '70 is engaged by the end of an arm 72 projecting from a short vertical rock shaft '74 to the lower end of which an actuating lever arm 76 is secured. This lever may be actuated directly or through connections to the feed adjusting lever 44 as will be hereinafter described.

The knife 54 operates to cut the work during the formation of the seam by movement against the work as the Work is being fed by the stitch forming devices, as more fully described in the inventors co-pending application above referred to.

Th edge gage of the machine is indicated at 78 and comprises an arm extending laterally from the upper end of a vertical rock shaft 80 mounted in the standard 52 of the slide 46. The lower end of the rock shaft is provided with gear teeth which mesh with rack teeth formed on the slide 62 so that a rocking movement is imparted to the rock shaft whenever the slide 62 is moved, as hereinbefore described. This rocking movement of the rock shaft moves the edge gage back and forth transversely of the line of feed to vary the position of the outseam on a shoe in the manner customary in the sewing of Goodyear welt shoes.

It is a common practice in sewing the outseams of Goodyear welt shoes to change the length of stitch in passing from the shank portion of a shoe on to the forepart, to move the edge gage forward at this time, and also to move the knife which cuts a stitch receiving groove or slit in the welt into operative position and to reverse these operations in passing from the forepart back into the shank. To enable the machine illustrated in the drawings to be operated in this manner the actuating lever arm 76 hereinbefore referred to is connected to the feed adjutsing lever 44 and in order that the edge gage may be locked securely in advanced position against any possibility of displacement, a locking device is provided for locking the actuating lever arm in one of its positions. In the illustrated construction, a latch 82 is pivotally mounted on the outer end of the actuating lever arm '76 so as to have a limited movement with relation to the arm and is connected at its outer end by means of a link 84 to the feed adjusting lever 44. The inner end of the latch 82 is shaped to engage a notch in a locking plate 86 adjustably clamped on the lower end of the bearing for the vertical rock shaft 74. A spring 88 connected to the inner end of the latch tends to move the latch in a direction to engage the locking plate. Except for the locking notch, the surface of the locking plate engaged by the inner end of the latch 82 is concentric with the pivot shaft 74 and whenever the latch 82 is actuated, its movement in one direction with relation to the lever arm 76 is limited by engagement of the latch with the locking plate. The movement of the latch 82 in the opposite direction with relation to the lever arm 76 is limited by a projection 90 on the arm. The actuating lever arm '76 is thus locked, unlocked and actuated by movements transmitted to the latch from the feed adjusting lever.

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated, and a specific embodiment of the several features of the invention having been described, what is claimed is:

l. A shoe sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming and work feeding devices, a work channelling knife operating while in engagement with the work to cut the work in the line of feed, means for moving the knife towards if and from engagement with the work including a manually operable member and suitable connections between said member and the knife, a looking latch mounted on said member and a locking plate provided with a notch cooperating with 5 said latch to lock the knife in Work engaging position.

2. A shoe sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming and work feeding devices,

a work channelling knife operating while in engagement with the work to cut the work in the line of feed, means for moving the knife towards and from engagement with the work including a manually operable lever, and suitable connections between the lever and the knife, a locking latch mounted on the lever, and a locking plate 3. A sewing machine having, in combination,

stitch forming and work feeding devices includ ing a needle, an awl, a work support and a presser foot, a work engaging knife arranged when in operative position to cut the work in the line of feed, and means for moving the knife into and out of operative position including a movable carrier in which the knife is supported, a slide, connections between the slide and carrier for actuating the carrier, a manually operable lever and connections between the lever and slide for actuating the slide.

4. A sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming and work feeding devices including a needle, an awl, a work support and a presser foot, a feed slide mounted to reciprocate in the line of feed upon which certain of said stitch forming and work feeding devices are mounted, a gage past which the work is fed arranged to engage the work and determine the location of the slide, and connections between said actuating slide and the gage and knife for advancing and retracting the gage transversely of the direction of feed, and for moving the knife into and out of operative position.

5. A shoe sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming and work feeding devices, a work channelling knife operating while in engagement with the work to cut the work in the line of feed, a manually operable member for adjusting the feeding movements of the feeding devices within the limits of movement of the member, and connections between the manually operable member and the channelling knife includ ing a locking device for locking or unlocking the knife while in a work engaging position during a portion of the movement of the member and for moving the knife towards or from work engaging position, respectively during the remaining portion of movement of the member.

6. A shoe sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming and work feeding devices, a gage past which the work is fed arranged to engage the work and determine the location of the seam on the work, a manually operable member for adjusting the feeding movements of the work feeding devices within the limits of movement of the member and connections between the manually operable member and the gage including a locking device for locking or unlocking the gage while in advanced position during a' portion of the movement of the member and for moving the gage towards or from advanced position, respectively, during the remaining portion of movement of the member.

7. A shoe sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming and work feeding devices, a gage past which the work is fed arranged to engage the work and determine the location of the seam on the work, means for advancing and retracting the gage transversely of the direction of feed including a manually operable member and suitable connections between said member and the gage, a locking latch mounted on said member, and a locking plate provided with a notch cooperating with the latch to lock the gage in advanced position, said locking plate having provision for adjustment to vary the advanced position of the gage.

8. A sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming and work feeding devices, a gage past which the work is fed arranged to engage the work and determine the location of the seam on the work, means for advancing and retracting the gage transversely of the direction of feed including a manually operable lever and suitable connections between the lever and the gage, a locking latch mounted on the lever, and a locking plate adjustably mounted concentric with the pivot of the lever provided with a notch cooperating with the latch to lock the gage in advanced position.

9. A sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming and work feeding devices, a gage past which the work is fed arranged to engage the work and determine the location of the seam on the work, means for advancing and retracting the gage transversely of the direction of feed including a manually operable lever and suitable connections between the lever and the gage, a

locking latch mounted on the lever, a locking plate mounted concentric with the pivot of the lever provided with a notch cooperating with the latch to lock the gage in advanced position, said latch having a limited movement with relation to the lever and provided with a manually operable part whereby a manual operation of the latch unlocks and moves the lever.

10. A shoe sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming and work feeding devices, a gage past which the work is fed arranged to engage the work and determine the location of th seam on the work, a rock shaft upon which said gage is mounted and means for rocking the shaft to advance and retract the gage transversely of the direction of feed comprising a slide, a rack and pinion connection between the slide and shaft, a manually operable lever and suitable connections between said lever and slide for reciprocating the slide.

11. A shoe sewing machine having, in combina tion, stitch forming and work feeding devices, a gage past which the work is fed arranged to engage the work and determine the location of the seam on the work, a rock shaft upon. which said gage is mounted and means for rocking the shaft to advance and retract the gage transversely of the direction of feed comprising a slide, a rack and pinion connection between the slide and shaft, a shaft having a screw threaded connection with the slide for reciprocating the slide, a slide arranged transversely to said screw threaded shaft, a rack and pinion connection between said transverse slide and said screw threaded shaft and a manually operable lever for actuating said a presser foot, a work channelling knife operating while in engagement with the work to cut the work in the line of feed, and means for moving the knife into and out of operative position including a movable carrier in which the knife is supported, a slide connected to the carrier, a 1';

shaft having a screw threaded connection with the slide for reciprocating the slide, a slide ar ranged transversely to said screw threaded shaft, a rack and pinion connection between the transverse slide and said screw threaded shaft, and

means for actuating said transverse slide.

13. A shoe sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming and work feeding devices including a needle, an awl, a work support and a presser foot, a work channelling knife operating while in engagement with the work to cut verse slide and said screw threaded shaft, a man r ually operable lever for actuating said transverse slide, and means for locking the lever in position with the knife in engagement with the work.

LAURENCE E. TOPHAM. 

